Conventional wind energy installations generally comprise a rotor which is made to rotate by wind, wherein the rotary movement is converted into electrical energy with the aid of an electrical generator. Rotors of this kind often have a height of 60 m or more, with the result that they have a considerable adverse effect on the landscape. Rotors of wind power installations of this kind additionally create a considerable amount of noise, this precluding them from being located in the immediate vicinity of residential buildings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,800 describes a method for directly converting wind energy into electrical energy. The associated apparatus does not have any mechanically moving parts. Ions are generated in the said apparatus, in particular by corona discharge, the said ions then being moved by the wind against the resistance of an electrostatic field. Finally, electric current is generated as a result. The method has the disadvantage that only a small proportion of the generated ions strike the ground, which acts as the collection electrode, at a sufficiently short distance in order to be discharged there. Accordingly, the current flow which is caused by the ions and the efficiency of energy recovery are low and depend to a great extent on the conductivity of the surrounding ground and the spatial conditions in the vicinity of the apparatus. The emission of large quantities of chemically reactive ions into the immediate surroundings is also problematic from environmental-protection aspects and the effects thereof over relatively long periods of time are unexplored. Since insulating materials are electrostatically charged in the kV range in the region of several metres from the installation, there is a considerable risk of electric shock to humans and animals, this making it impossible to operate installations of this kind in urban areas. The ions also pass through a repulsive potential emanating from the collection electrode in embodiments of the method according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,800 in which a separate collection electrode is used instead of the ground. Therefore, a large portion of the ions is repelled by the collection electrode and discharged at another point, with the result that it does not contribute to energy recovery.